Monthly Archives: februari 2015

The three Uppsala artists Sergio Perea,Anna Löwdin and Bill-Ove Jonsson have been invited to take part in an Art Symposium called ”Monuments for life” in Böse Natursteinwerk Großenlüder near Fulda coordinated by Dr. Ulrich Barnickel. A team of sculptors will have the opportunity to work together in this Symposium with stones of granite, marble and basalt and all the necessary tools available in the open atelier. There will also be a following exhibition curated by Dr Barnickel.

Dr Barnickel met the swedish artists and saw examples of their work during his scholarship visit in Uppsala and fortunately they are able to attend. The symposium will take place in the two first weeks of July 2015. We at Studiefrämjandet are very happy about this exciting international collaboration!

For all our Swedish readers who may not be able to visit the Symposium this summer there is an opportunity to see works from Anna, Bill-Ove and Sergio in a group exhibition at Edsviks konsthall opening today!/Christina

More information from the company behind the Symposium:

”We, Heinz and Susanne Böse are a producer of monuments for the
German market…- But we like to create the idea for a sculpture
which accompanies people their whole life. Together we will create a new concept ”Lebenssteine” – ”monuments for life” People get first time a monument when they have died: a tombstone. The idea is to create a sculpture which accompanies people during their life. The expression of this scuplture is a positive emotion- fitting to it´s owner. The sculpture can have it´s place in house or garden.”
See more about our company on our two Web sites:www.boese-naturstein.de and www.grabmal-zentrum.de

Yesterday this little group had a meeting at Studiefrämjandet. Several of our swedish laureates had influenza but we managed to gather a small group to make plans for the exhibition. We are all looking forward to meet and entertain our german Guests!/Christina

The german recipient in 2012 was Bernd Baldus. His scholarship visit to Uppsala in 2012 may have been the most dramatic of all since he got to see a wild wolf running past him in the city when we were on our way to art museum Bror Hjorths hus.

Selfportrait in Saint Tropez, aquarell gouache and pencil.

Despite the stern look in the self portrait above Bernd Baldus is an artist with a warm heart that does not only feel compassion for humans. The animals also have the blues in Bernds pictures, we meet the sad eyes of farmyard animals that he as a vegetarian would never eat. This hard working artist combines his work as an artist and musician with teaching painting to people with disabilities. Uppsala will have the opportunity to hear Bernd performing some songs in Å-husets garden in the afternoon on friday the fifth of june, the day before the exhibition opening. More information about that later!

”Bernd Baldus is dedicated to the emotional world of the Blues, not just as a musician but as a painter and graphic artist as well. To this end, he has developed a uniquely individual visual language that has become his trademark. His subjects—musicians, dancers, people both known and unknown going about their everyday life, and even animals—are usually presented on a blue or black background, an apparent environmental nowhere.

Due to the repudiation of spatial illusion, the people and their emotional states become the focal point of awareness: their abandonment to music, their small pleasures, and their smile-inducing idiosyncrasies as well as their moments of alienation and disgruntlement, apathy and violence, depression and grief.

At times the people and scenes contrast strongly in color from the background, distancing themselves from their surroundings via radiant luminosity. Gouache and watercolors or oil paints are the tools of the painter here, while all technical forms of etching are the approved tools of the graphic artist. But in paintings as in graphic works: Bernd Baldus, the artist, attentively observes the activities of the world, forever unable to withhold commentary. For the most part, however, his interest in human beings and their fates is borne by compassionate sympathy and a sense for emotional vulnerability.”

Dr. Elisabeth Heil, art historian

”In my pictures, I concern myself with human life, emotional realities and interpersonal relationships. My work is about the documentation of seismographic traumas. My motivation lies in the Blues and the love of life.”

”I’m born in Uppsala 1985 and after some years of study on different locations in Sweden I returned here. I’ve studied acting, theater teaching and visual art. In 2011 I got my bachelor degree in fine arts in Textile art from Steneby – School of Crafts and Design.

I like to work with installations and spatial art forms. My main material is textile but animation, video and drawings is also a big part of my artistry.

I haven’t yet visit Kleinsassen but I’m looking forward to spend some time there.”

Dear readers! I know that you all have been waiting impatiently for information about the artists that will participate in the exhibition. Now we can finally confirm that the exhibition will consist of works from the following seven artists. The exhibition will showcase artworks composed in a variety of techniques including sculpture, paintings, ceramics and weaved objects./Christina

We in the exhibition team at Studiefrämjandet Uppsala had a very inspiring meeting last week. We will have some big news for you this week about this years swedish scholarship recipient and about the participants in the exhibition this summer.

It is now possible to ”like” our German Contemporary page on facebook to get notifications whenever this blog is updated. Have a great week! /Christina

Sergio Perea Jerez
”Artist and art restorer, educated in Sweden and Italy.
I was born in Santiago de Chile 1963 and moved to Sweden in 1974.
Currently living in Uppsala, Sweden.

As a sculptor I work mostly in stone but sometimes also in wood and metal.
When I paint I use what i have learned as a restorer of paintings to create the surfaces and textures that I want.

I organize sculpture workshops and teach stone sculpture, both at my studio in an old observatory in Uppsala and in Carrara, Italy. Together with colleagues I am a part Global Stone Workshop that create opportunities for artist to work in stone all over the world.

I am an active member of the artist association in Uppsala, Uppsala Konstnärsklubb, and I believe that it is very important for artists from different countries to meet and work together. The collaboration with Kunststation Kleinsassen is very valuable to us and meetings with artists have been much appreciated.
When writing this I have not yet visited the Kunststation Kleinsassen so I am much looking forward to doing so.”

During this spring we aim to present one scholarship holder each week . This week we will take a closer look at two of the laureates! Most of the scholarship holders are artists, but it is also possible for administrators to receive the scholarship. The German laureate in 2013 was Eva-Maria König who at the time worked as an administrator at Kunststation Kleinsassen. She is currently working at an art Gallery in Madeira on the Canarian Islands.

Picture from Eva-Marias CV

We had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with Eva-Maria here in Uppsala where she visited Studiefrämjandets different facilities. I got to spend a day in her company showing her my two favourite art museums Bror Hjorths hus and Uppsala Konstmuseum and having interesting discussions about art. /Christina

A February-looking detail from one of the paintings in the University Art Collection at Uppsala Art Museum

”During my thirtyfive years of living, I have been studying painting at Gerlesborgsskolan in
Stockholm, and Fine art and theatre design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam.
For my examproject at the Rietveld I made a costume for a smaller truck that I also lived in. I turned it in to a kind of performancemachine, and used it for planting seeds of imagination in the streets of Amsterdam.
After returning to Sweden I have been working a little behind the stage and as a truckdriver.
At the moment I am mainly busy with my own art and teaching both arts and crafts. Since
2007 I am a member of the Uppsala Association of artists, UKK, and the national Association of artists, KRO.
Making art is for me not only creating objects, but also creating spaces where creativity can happen. In this I work a lot with Studiefrämjandet, teaching courses and creating festivals. I also work with exhibitions, theatreperformances and artprojects with schools. I believe that the creativity of every single person is extremely important.

In my artwork, at the moment, I use wood, metal, biketubes, charcoal and oil on canvas. I´m intrigued by light and language, both being capable of creating great illusions. During the process of making I always use writing.

I had the privilege to receive the grant to spend time at Kunststation Kleinsassen in march
2014, where I got to exhibit my work in the Seminar room. I was very well received in
Kleinsassen and had a very interesting and fruitful period of exploring the beautiful
surroundings, and working with drawings and sculpting in the big apartment above the
Kunststation. I am very thankful for having received this opportunity!”